Great Eastern

The Great Eastern was a Transatlantic liner English launched in 1858 and conceived by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was the first giant Paquebot and the largest ship ever built at its time, with a capacity of loading of 4000 passengers without it being necessary to restock it with coal between the Great Britain and the east coast of the the United States.

The ship was built in partnership with one of the principal manufacturers of its time, John Scott Russell, on the edges of the the Thames, in the shipyards of Millwall, located downstream from the London bridge. Russell was however in great financial problems, which was unaware of Brunel and which would cause of many delays. It was the last great project of the latter which had a faintness on the bridge of the ship and died a few days later.

The ship was launched in 1858, after many technical difficulties (after the first missed launching, it was given to water 3 months later). It measured 211 meters (692 feet) length, 25 meters (83 feet) broad, 18 meters (60 feet) top. The Tirant of water was of 6,1 meters (20 feet) to light and 9,1 meters (30 feet) with full load, for a weight of 32.000 tons. In comparison, the Persia , launched in 1856 measured only 119 meters (390 feet) length for 14 meters (45 feet) broad.

The hull was entirely built out of sheet steel of 19 mm, with a double hull. Inside, the ship was divided into two compartments of 107 meters (350 feet) length and 18 meters (60 feet) top, various partitions then dividing them into 19 smaller compartments. The propulsion was done by Paddle wheel (17 meters diameter) and by propeller (7,3 meters diameter). Four steam engines actuated the another propeller and paddle wheels. The total power was estimated at 8.000 horse power (6 MW).

At the end of 1858, in order to avoid a bankruptcy caused by the costs of construction and the overcost of missed launching, the Company for Eastern navigation (Eastern Steam Company Navigation), owner of the Great Eastern resells it with the Great Ship Company for the sum of 160.000 books. Great Ship Company decides to use the ship on the North Atlantic and hopes to transport between 4000 and 5000 people to each crossing. The June 17th 1860 the Great Eastern installs Southampton in direction of New York. It transports only 43 passengers including 8 guests. With the return, only 200 tickets were sold. The ship runs terribly and supports the heavy weather badly what makes the crossing very uncomfortable. The Great Eastern will make only 12 voyages in 4 years, without never making the full one with passengers and punctuated of many incidents and accidents which will be expensive Great Ship Company. Finally this one is put in bankruptcy in 1863 and the ship is disarmed.

The Great Eastern is then sold for 25.000 books (its cost of construction had been of 500.000 books) with the American Cyrus Field and is used as ship Câblier. It was in particular used in 1865 to pose the 4.200 km (2 600 miles) of the transatlantic first telegraphic cable, like with various other installations of cables until its dismantling in 1889. A legend says that the skins of two workmen were then discovered, they would have been locked up alive in the double hull 30 years earlier (some will veront the " cause there there; surnaturelle" of all the vexations of the ship " maudit").

This ship inspired with Jules Verne, which had carried out on its board a crossing of the Atlantic, its novel a floating city , and with Victor Hugo a passage of the Legend of the Centuries

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